What do you do after you've ended a career with one of rock's greatest bands? What if after so many years of being an acclaimed instrumentalist, your current claim to fame and/or notoriety is being involved in a plagiarism issue with Coldplay?
The answer of course, is Chickenfoot, a new band comprised of ex-Van Halen lead singer Sammy Hagar, ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, and Red Hot Chili Pepper drummer and Will Ferrell look alike Chad Smith.
The group has already recorded its debut album, due out in the US this June. Chickenfoot will also be touring Europe, perhaps as a testing ground, this June and July. As of this writing, no US dates have been announced, but fan anticipation seems to be high. Their Facebook page already has 10,610 members.
Titles of the songs on the album include, "Soap On A Rope," "Sexy Little Thing," and the profound sounding "Oh Yeah." I've listened to "Soap" from their Facebook page, and while it sounds really ballsy, it doesn't strike a chord in me. Hopefully, this will not just be another case of a project band/supergroup that will ultimately dissolve after egos get in the way; Satriani has mentioned that the biggest compliment right now that anyone can give them is to call them a "real band."
As for Hagar and Anthony, it seems that they are in it for the fun. Hagar has been making comments that the group could give Led Zeppelin a run for their money. This seems highly unlikely, and unless he isn't drunk daily on Tequila, it is probably just spin.
Whatever musical output that comes out of this band is already something to look forward to, however, Michael Anthony, who was rudely fired from Van Halen in favor of Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang, has always been an underrated player, and it's always good to hear him carrying the bottom end. Hagar can still pull off a good wail or two, as evidenced on the teaser tracks on their official website, and, given his age (somewhere in the 60s), that's not something easy to do (hopefully he can duplicate this live). Anything by Satriani is always worthwhile, even moreso now that he's in a "real band." As for Chad Smith, this probably gives him a good chance to play straight on rock.
Article comments
1 - GuitarShred
I wish these rock veterans well and I hope they stay away from the juvenile jabs with Van Halen about who fired whom, etc. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Satriani fits himself into the confinements of a "band." He is such an amazing guitarist but is used to shredding in any direction in a solo environment....
2 - Clarence Yu
I guess they'll give Joe a 30 minute solo to satisfy his need.
3 - Johnny D
I caught them live and it worked out well with no solos at all
CHickenfoot ROCKS !!